Compilation Brazil's Soccer Cities

After years of planning and preparation,

the World Cup has arrived in Brazil.

We know the teams, we know the players,

but what about the cities that are hosting the matches?

In the next half-hour,

myself and my colleagues from BBC Brasil will give you the lowdown.

We'll dance with drag queens in Sao Paulo

and free run across the capital.

But first,

Silvia Salek takes you to the home of capoeira on the north-east coast.

These are Brazil's soccer cities.

Brazil's African soul, where two continents unite in one city.

But in the Ponte Nova,

the planet's greatest stars will collide during the World Cup.

Once the nation's capital,

Salvador was the main entry point for slaves taken from all over Africa

- the legacy passed down through generations and endures today.

The fluid flow of capoeira, both a dance and a fight.

Born out of slavery, it was a form of resistance against colonial masters.

-TRANSLATION:

-When immigrants came to Brazil,

they saw the possibility of using

these movements as a way of stopping physical aggression.

There is African DNA in Brazilian footballers.

You can see capoeira in the way they move.

-TRANSLATION:

-The World Cup doesn't resolve Salvador's problems,

like sewage treatment, security and education.

-TRANSLATION:

-I love football.

I live only two kilometres from the stadium,

but I don't have proper access to it.

Sadly, this is a violent city and racism is commonplace.

Public services struggle.

A subway lies dormant, still not completed after 17 years.

Despite these challenges, the people

here are famed for their exuberance, often with a spring in their step.

Salvador has a complex make-up of faiths.

This offers another glimpse of the past.

Over the centuries,

the African religion of Candomble had to be disguised to survive.

Many followers pretended to be Catholic,

but now the faiths coexist peacefully.

In this party, two religions come together.

People celebrate both St Barbara and Candomble's Yansa,

united in faith and colour.

-TRANSLATION:

-80 years ago,

no-one would talk about being descended from slaves.

It was like a stain in someone's life.

But through religious education,

we learnt that we are all brothers and sisters.

The slaves came from Africa and stayed,

resulting in the mix of cultures that is the Brazilian race today.

-TRANSLATION:

-The best thing about Salvador is Carnival.

The worst is racism.

-TRANSLATION:

-I'm a doctor

and the situation in public hospitals is chaotic.

Could this be the secret of Brazilian football?

They call this Baba na Ladeira.

It's football but played round the steep streets of Salvador.

Many of the Brazilian greats started improvising, just like these guys.

There are troubling issues that need to be sorted in this town,

but there's still plenty to cherish.

During the World Cup, this city is determined to triumph.

The power base of Brazil,

the home of politicians determining the fate of the nation

- during the World Cup, it will be the monumental Mane Garrincha

shaping footballing dreams.

Founded in 1960, Brasilia was built in just four years

and replaced Rio as the capital.

Brasilia's planners thought of every last detail.

Even this lake was their creation.

Lake Paranoa provides some much-needed moisture in the air

and an emergency electricity supply for the city.

Oscar Niemeyer's striking work captivated architects

and inspired modernism in the country.

This political town can seem a little soulless.

It's often left to the young to bring energy onto the streets.

-TRANSLATION:

-This was one of the first places

to introduce free running in Brazil.

Because it's a planned city, all the places we free run have all

kinds of obstacles - trees, concrete and walls.

That's great for everyone, from beginners to experts.

-TRANSLATION:

-Brasilia is only 50 years old.

It's a new city and because of that, its power grows stronger every year.

-TRANSLATION:

-Politics is repulsive! One can't possibly get involved.

I am in power. I make my politics!

Those not connected to politics are often

disdainful of the people in power.

To many, the cockroach represents the corruption all too

common in our country.

When it comes to football,

Brasilia's teams have never really ruled this country,

but that doesn't mean that the fans here are any less passionate.

HE COMMENTATES

Like the fans on the terraces below them,

football commentators are full of feeling.

-TRANSLATION:

-I started by listening to different commentators

on the radio

and I got a bit of their style, but I work in a different way.

I try to bring a bit more entertainment.

-TRANSLATION:

-I don't like living in Brasilia

because public transport is terrible.

Everything is so expensive.

-TRANSLATION:

-It's great living here - the infrastructure, the landscape,

people are captivating.

At times, it's as though you're in a science-fiction film,

but this is where Brazilian reality is shaped day-to-day.

It will never be the utopia dreamt of 50 years ago, yet

the capital is incomparable to any other city in Brazil or the world.

A never-ending mass of concrete as far as the eye can see - Brazil's

financial centre, industrial heart, in South America's largest city.

Brazil's World Cup begins here.

Have a look. Sao Paulo is massive - a jungle of skyscrapers.

Moving about isn't easy. The few who can fly by helicopter.

Down there, it's chaos.

-TRANSLATION:

-The best way to get around is on a motorbike,

but don't break the speed limit!

Sometimes, Sao Paulo feels very un-Brazilian.

Take the area of Liberdade, with its striking Asian population.

The city's highly cosmopolitan.

It's considered gay-friendly, but recently,

homophobic attacks have been on the rise.

To help change attitudes,

the city's authorities have hired a group of drag queens.

-TRANSLATION:

-Drags are the only part of the gay community

that doesn't suffer prejudice cos we're funny, colourful, like clowns,

but when we take off our masks, we suffer like any other gay person.

In this poor community,

a small samba school has chosen the fight against homophobia as

the theme for the next Carnival and Chaka as the Queen of the parade.

Sao Paulo is a tough city.

It keeps you on your toes,

but there are always ways to release the pressure.

In a traditionally male-dominated sport, women have knocked the gender

divide aside, helping make multiple martial arts a national passion.

-TRANSLATION:

-Sao Paulo is a sexist city. Women need to work hard here.

Although many sports are growing, Brazil is a football factory.

This is Sao Paulo Football Club Training Academy.

It's like a military barracks.

200 trainees live, eat, study, sleep on site,

but the selection process is brutal.

-TRANSLATION:

-I came here when I was 13,

chosen from a group 13,000 teenagers.

My routine is not normal, but I do have a little time to meet girls!

Obviously, I think about helping my family financially,

but mostly, I want football to be enjoyable.

-TRANSLATION:

-Here, people give too much importance to football,

but Brazil has other sports.

Sao Paulo is a city that embraces everyone and every cause.

Paulistas work hard, play hard.

It might not be the prettiest,

but there is no better stage to kick off the beautiful game.

Rodrigo Pinto reporting there. Coming up...

Dolphin therapy in the Amazon and a street party in Recife.

But first, an adrenaline rush in Rio.

Cidade Maravilhosa - a city fit for football's greatest stage.

This July, the eyes of the planet will be

fixed on the Maracana Stadium for the World Cup final.

And the nation expects Brazil to be there.

With its incomparable natural beauty, Rio is wonderfully seductive.

But there are frustrations - anger over the cost of living,

the state of public services, the gap between rich and poor.

A fifth of the city still live in the slums,

but despite the problems, there has been some progress.

Favelas are the lifeblood of the city,

a source of so much incredible energy.

Things are never dull, its residents living life on the edge.

A network of twisting, turning alleyways, these steep,

narrow streets are a super-speedway for daredevil bikers.

Drug lords once ruled this area, but not now.

-TRANSLATION:

-I used to hear many stories of people being murdered,

even children. I was afraid of being robbed.

But since there's been a police presence in this favela,

I feel a bit safer.

-TRANSLATION:

-The World Cup will be more than a game.

It will be a spectacle.

-TRANSLATION:

-Rio doesn't just have beaches.

There are other things for you to visit.

The Condal Mask Factory is preparing for Rio's Carnival.

The faces are some of the country's most popular characters - real

and imaginary.

-TRANSLATION:

-We were expecting the World Cup

to be like an extra carnival,

but unfortunately, this isn't going to happen for us.

We really wanted to make masks of the Brazilian footballers.

They would have sold really well, but the players won't let us

because of image rights.

-TRANSLATION:

-The World Cup will be fantastic for the city

but horrible for my pocket!

-TRANSLATION:

-The World Cup will be great for employment

but I hope it lasts.

As day turns tonight, you can feel this place move.

Every Saturday, hundreds dance the night away under this flyover

- Viaduto de Madureira.

The beauty of this city is that you never struggle to find a party.

Occasionally, you need to draw breath.

200 years ago, this was a coffee plantation,

but Floresta da Tijuca was replanted,

transformed into a rainforest to protect the city's water supply.

Rio's getting a face-lift.

It's time to entertain the planet - first the World Cup,

then the Olympics.

A sporting carnival is about to commence.

In the heat and the heart of the Amazon,

one of Brazil's most exotic venues.

The world's finest footballers will need more than fancy footwork

to tackle the humidity of the Arena Amazonia.

Manaus is nested between the world's largest rainforest

and one of its biggest rivers.

During the rubber boom of the 19th century,

it was an economic powerhouse.

Manaus still remains fairly isolated from the rest of Brazil.

Like any other city in the world, it needs its highways.

But in a place where urban life and nature are so closely knit,

the only road to Manaus is its river.

For centuries, it was said that creatures with evil powers

lurked in the murky waters of the Rio Negro.

But today, it's a source of hope.

Children with disabilities swim amongst the pink river dolphins.

Bototherapy is an experimental treatment that uses

the endangered mammals' natural ultrasound to heal.

-TRANSLATION:

-When I started Bototherapy,

I did not walk, I didn't know how to swim.

The dolphins have a very good energy.

They pass it on to me through their ultrasound. They're a great help.

I have started walking. Now my spine is flexible, it's stronger.

It's given me a new life.

-TRANSLATION:

-The World Cup will be very important for the city.

It will show the whole world what life is like in the rainforest.

It's Manaus' very isolation that keeps its special

connection with the rainforest.

If we lose that, it becomes just like any other city in the world.

Nearly a quarter of the Amazon has already been lost to deforestation.

The concrete and tarmac slowly creep further

and further into the woodland.

The 1st Jungle Infantry Battalion are the guardians of the forest.

With 25,000 troops,

they watch over an area that covers about half of the country.

-Salvam!

-Salvam!

After the demise of the rubber trade in the early 20th century,

Manaus fell into poverty.

But in the '60s, a tax-free district was established,

creating a major industrial centre.

This is the Traxx factory -

a seven-year-old Chinese-Brazilian venture.

This company pulls employers and employees from all over Brazil

and beyond.

-TRANSLATION:

-We feel the people of Manaus are very honest,

easy-going and warm.

Freedom and equality are very important to them.

If you're willing, it's relatively easy to integrate into society.

Designed in China, built in Brazil.

People here often say they're proud of the blend of cultures

in this extraordinary city - a driving force for the economy.

-TRANSLATION:

-I love Manaus because of its hospitable people.

I'm proud to be from here.

Manaus is the starting point for an Amazonian adventure.

Its mix of indigenous and European cultures, with the most

extraordinary landscape, make it one of a kind, even for the locals.

The coastal metropolis that draws you to the north-east of Brazil.

The Arena Pernambuco.

As with many of the World Cup's stadia,

the wisdom of building such an expensive venue has been questioned.

When Brazilians talk about Recife, they speak of its rivers

and bridges.

Everything here brims with colour.

Beyond the conventional, this is a curious place.

Some find it outrageous, others genius.

These pieces of art have teased minds for over 60 years -

the work of one of Recife's most creative sons.

This warehouse and its grounds were once in ruins.

It was moulded into a garden of the central

and mythological by the sculptor Francisco Brennand.

-TRANSLATION:

-This was the very spot where we fought the Dutch invaders.

For Brazilians, it is like sacred land.

In my work, I speak about the great enigma of reproduction.

If we were able to comprehend it,

we would be able to solve the very mystery of the universe.

-TRANSLATION:

-You have to visit the beaches but you shouldn't go over

the coral reef, otherwise the sharks will get you!

These aren't the safest waters, but people still have fun.

On Boa Viagem, beach lovers combine Brazil's two most popular

sports to give you futevolei.

In the land of football and volleyball champions,

this evolution was inevitable.

However, the TV schedule isn't shaped by sports but soap stars.

Telenovelas, as we call them, are a national obsession.

-TRANSLATION:

-Why do people watch soap operas?

Because they watch it and see themselves in the characters.

Every Brazilian Carnival has its own character.

Seismic sounds of Recife have triggered hundreds of rhythms

to dance to.

Frevo dancers keep on their toes like ballerinas on hot coals.

-TRANSLATION:

-There was prejudice against frevo because it was

invented by former black slaves celebrating their freedom.

But now, it's a dance that brings all races together.

Frevo is the soul of Recife's Carnival.

If there's no frevo, there's no Carnival.

The innovative spirit of the people has allowed Recife to blossom.

Despite life's setbacks, it has given Brazil some of its most

influential artists, writers and musicians.

When you are here, you believe there's more to come.